Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



w c. DODGE, Breech-loading Fire-arm.

Pa tentdlsept; 20, 18-64.

Y INVENTOR.

WITNESSES- wws ' Nrrn'n STATES WM. 0. DODGE, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 141,290, datc'd September 520, 1864.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. DODGE, of-

the city of Washington and District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Breech-Loading Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings,making part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view; Fig. 2, a side elevation, with a portion of the barrel and stock broken away so as to show the arrangement of the working parts in position; and Fig. 3, a similar view with the operation of parts shown in red.

The nature of my invention consists in the peculiar construction of the lever-guard and retractor, and in so combining and arranging the same with the stock and barrels as that a single movement of the leverguard shall both elevate the. rear end of the barrels and remove I the cartridge-cases.

It further consists in a novel arrangement of parts for locking and securing the barrels and lever-guard in position.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it. I

A in each of the figures represents the barrel, which may be either single or'double, it being shown double in the drawing. The barrel is constructed in the usual manner, except that it is left open at the breech, and is recessed for the reception of the retractorplate, 19, as shown in Fig. 1.

B represents -the stock, the front portion, ,B, of which is preferably made of metal, and

0 represents the lever-guard, which is piv-' oted at a, and has its upper end projecting upward and forward, as shown, its extreme upper portion being slightly curved and slotted, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In the recess underneath and between the barrels, if two be used, as in this case, or directly underneath the center, longitudinally of the barrel,.if a single one be used, is placed the stem 1) of the retractor p. A pin, 0, passing through this stem 1), and also through the slot in the end of the guard 0, serves to unite those two parts. To the outer end of b is firmly secured the retractor-plate p, which, when in position, fits snugly in the recess at the rear. end of the barrels. To the opposite end of the stem 1) is secured the spring 9.

-.frepresents a lug or projection, which is firmly secured to the under side of the barrels, close to the rear end thereof, and fitting into a corresponding recess provided for it in the stock, as shown in Fig. 1. The lower end of f is beveled, and in its rear side, near its lower end, is a notch, the object of which will be hereinafter explained. This lug f serves the additional purpose of relieving the pin h of the strain that would otherwise be thrown upon it by the tendency of the barrels to be thrown forward when the discharge takes place.

65 represents a sliding bolt, which may be located either above or below the tang w, though preferably above it, as it would thereby be inclosed, and hence more perfectly protected from injury; The rear end of this bolt d is curved, as shown at 0, where it is provided with a suitable notch for engaging the rear end of the guardG for the purpose of securing the latter in position. The front end of d is bent upward and then forward, as shown in Figs. 1

and 2, for the purpose of bringing it into the proper position to engage in the notch in f, as shown in Fig. 1, and thereby also look the barrels securely in their place. The bolt (1 is also provided with a trigger or finger-piece,

t, which projects below the lower edge of the I stock, directly in front of the rear end of the guard O, as shown in Fig. 1. A'spiral spring, e, serves to operate the bolt d and keep it up to its work.

or is forced backward, ejecting the cartridgecases, as shown in red in Fig. 3. The slot in the upper end of this guard permits the guard to be moved a sufficient distance to elevate the barrels above the recoil-plate D without at all moving the retractor; but atthe instant when the barrels are so elevated as to clear the plate D the guard O,at the front end of its slot, comesin contact with the pin a, when the further movement of O necessarily carries 1) and p with it, as clearlyshown in red in Fig. 3, and thus removes the cartridge-cases.

In the case of a double-barreled gun, when but one of the charges has been exploded, and it is desired to reload the one barrel, the guard will be thrown down only far enough to partially remove the cases, as shown in Fig. 1, when the empty shell may be removed by the hand, a fresh one substituted, the other cartridge shoved into its place, and the process rendered complete without throwing the exploded cartridge from the gun.

By simply removing the pins h and c the barrels can be readily detached from the stock, and, if desired, rifle-barrels substituted in their place, the same locks, stock, and guard being used in either case. It is also obvious that one of the barrels may be a shot-barrel and the other a rifle-barrel, as is now common in donble-barreled guns used for hunting or' Having thus fully described the construction and operation of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. So constructing and combining thestock,

guard, barrel, and retractor of a breech-loading gun as that a single movement of the guard shall both elevate the barrel and operate the retractor without the aid or use of any other parts than those herein mentioned.

2-. The lever-guard G, constructed and operating inthe manner and-for the purpose substantially as above set forth.

3. The combination of the lever-guard O and the cartridge-retractor of a breech-loading gun, when constructed and operating substantially as shown and described.

WILLIAM C. DODGE.

Witnesses:

CLIFFORD ARIOK, E. R. MCKEAN. 

